Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand

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Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand is the first Christmas album released by Christian rock band Relient K. It was released on November 4, 2003, via Gotee Records.

Background and release

Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand was produced by Mark Lee Townsend and co-produced by Matt Thiessen.<ref name="liner notes"/> It was released as a combo pack with later copies of their previous full-length album, Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...but Three Do.<ref name="JFH Review"/> "I Celebrate the Day" was released on November 14, 2003, as the first and only single from the album.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

On October 23, 2007, the band re-released this album with seven new songs, and the new title of Let it Snow, Baby... Let it Reindeer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Guitarist Matt Hoopes reflected on the album, stating, "On the first batch of songs, we mostly tried to keep it... really fast, loud and a little bit off for Christmas songs."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On the 20th anniversary of the album, the group pressed it as a vinyl record.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical reception

Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand was met with positive reviews from music critics. Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms wrote, "Apart from having the most amusing title ever conceived for a Christmas project, what do you get? Well, just what you'd expect. A punktastic versions of "Angels We Have Heard On High", a fun modification of a creaking old standard 'Santa Clause Is Thumbin' To Town' and best of all, a hilarious version of '12 Days Of Christmas'. But it doesn't stop there. There's also a truly manic version of Handel's 'The Hallelujah Chorus' and if Matthew Thiessen's run through of 'Silent Night/Away In A Manger' is dull, with not a guitar in earshot, this is still an above average Yuletide album likely to get airplay in the Christmases ahead."<ref name="CR Review"/> Josh Taylor of Jesus Freak Hideout stated, "But Relient K shows that they can write a Christmas song or two, too. From a hitchhiking Santa Claus to a Christmas breakup and finally a celebration of Christ's birth, this album has it all covered [...] This is truly a masterpiece and should be enjoyed for many Christmases to come."<ref name="JFH Review"/>

Track listing

All tracks public domain unless otherwise noted. New verses on tracks 3 and 6 written by Matt Thiessen.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.<ref name="liner notes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Relient K

• Matt Thiessen – lead vocals, guitars, acoustic piano
• Matt Hoopes – guitars, backing vocals
• Brian Pittman – bass
• Dave Douglas – drums, backing vocals

Production

• Mark Lee Townsend – producer
• Matt Thiessen – co-producer
• J.R. McNeeley – mixing